Wal-Mart announced Thursday (Dec. 18) that it will implement enhanced poultry safety measures for suppliers designed to further protect customers against foodborne illnesses.

The new guidelines are in addition to Wal-Mart’s food safety program that requires poultry suppliers to achieve prevention-based certification against one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) internationally recognized standards.

“At Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, we are committed to providing our customers with safe, quality foods,” said vice president for food safety, Frank Yiannas. “As part of our continuous improvement process, we determined it was important to require additional layers of protection for our customers.”

The new program requires Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club U.S. poultry suppliers to implement holistic controls from farm to fork designed to significantly reduce potential contamination levels, including chicken parts. It also requires suppliers to undergo specialized testing to validate that the measures they have implemented are effective.

All poultry suppliers must be in compliance with the new requirements by June 2016. The enhanced protocol has been reviewed with numerous stakeholders including consumer groups, regulators, academicians, poultry suppliers and industry associations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with Wal-Mart on this initiative to advance food safety and decrease foodborne illnesses among consumers.

Dr. Chris Braden, director of CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases said, “CDC, along with Wal-Mart, recognizes that reducing Salmonella and other pathogen contamination in poultry products is a crucial step towards decreasing the burden of foodborne illnesses.. Wal-Mart and CDC working together to protect public health and advance food safety is a great example of a public-private partnership that benefits everyone” 

Museum curators knew they had a winner on their hands early on with the State of the Art: Discovering American Art exhibit. Crystal Bridges reports more than 127,000 visitors have graced its doors to view the diverse works since first displayed Sept. 13.

It’s the most viewed exhibition in the museum’s three-year history. The day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28) marked the highest one-day attendance for this series with 3,700 patrons.

State of the Art will remain on view until Jan. 19, 2015 with complimentary admission, sponsored by Walmart and Sam’s Club.

“State of the Art is exceptional in terms of the curatorial approach and also represents the largest exhibition since we opened the museum in 2011. It’s been rewarding to see the way guests are connecting and sharing the stories and ideas from the exhibition. As a new museum in the middle of the country, we have a unique vantage point in which to tell the American story.” said Rod Bigelow said, executive director at Crystal Bridges.

He said State of the Art is an important part of that ongoing narrative, providing a broad look at contemporary art within the context of our five centuries of American art, and inspiring conversations about issues that affect everyone.
 
In 2013, the curatorial team traveled 100,000 miles to nearly 1,000 studios all over the country in search of artists in communities large and small. The result culminated in  State of the Art, a one-of-a-kind exhibition that features 102 artists and 227 artworks ranging from works on canvas and paper to photography and video to installation and performance art, and more.

The exhibition examines how today’s artists are informed by the past, innovating with materials old and new, and engaging deeply with issues relevant now. It occupies 19,000 square feet of museum space, in addition to installations on the museum grounds and in downtown Bentonville.
 
State of the Art has also captured the national spotlight with media coverage including a CBS Evening News story and was named one of the ‘15 Best Art Exhibitions of 2014’ by Huffington Post.

“From the very beginning, our primary goal was to find artists engaged with community, their viewers, and issues that make up our everyday lives. We found them.” said Crystal Bridges Curator Chad Alligood. “Graciously, many of the artists participated in video interviews, panel discussions, workshops and demonstrations—all with the goal of connecting our audiences to the work in deeper and more meaningful ways.”
 

Endeavor Foundation announced Thursday (Dec. 18) a commitment of up to $5 million to support efforts that expand access to high quality early childhood education, improve community health through increased availability of trained internal medicine specialists, and support a healthy, active lifestyle with the addition of Razorback Regional Greenway trail amenities.

Building on the $2.9 million investment made earlier this year to expand Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Pre-K programs for 200 new children, Endeavor is now committing an additional $4 million to bring ABC to 240 more preschoolers, including one-time grants for start-up costs such as furnishings, learning tools, and classroom renovation.

Endeavor will also award approximately $800,000 to support 280 students enrolled in existing ABC programs. In total, this brings the Foundation’s investment to nearly $8 million through 2018, impacting the lives and future of more than 700 children from low-income families across the region. Specific grantees will be announced in early 2015.

“The Foundation is proud of its commitment to both maintain and expand high quality early childhood education in Northwest Arkansas, and to advance a bold vision toward helping to support the more than 4,000 children in high-need families that do not have access to Pre-K programs,” said Anita Scism, president and CEO of Endeavor Foundation. “State funding for Pre-K has remained flat since 2008, meaning that unless private dollars are invested, the increasing demand for Pre-K will not be met, and we will continue to fail our children at a time in their lives when learning is a critical determinant of future success,” Scism added.

Beyond systemic change in the area of education, Endeavor is also committed to addressing root causes behind inadequate access to health care in our communities. A $200,000 grant to University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest (UAMS Northwest) will support the continued development of an Internal Medicine Residency program poised to receive accreditation in late 2015. This program will create a pipeline of eight trained residents per year, with a goal of retaining at least 60 percent of the new internal medicine doctors in Northwest Arkansas.

“Internal medicine is the number one primary care need in Northwest Arkansas, largely because of the broad spectrum of acute symptoms and chronic diseases which internists are specially trained to treat,” stated Dr. Peter Kohler, Vice Chancellor, UAMS Northwest. “As a result of this important resident training program, UAMS expects to substantially reduce the shortage of internal medicine specialists in Northwest Arkansas in the very near term, resulting in improved economic and health outcomes, and lower overall costs of care.”

An additional health and wellness grant in the amount of $40,734 was awarded to the Northwest Arkansas Council Foundation to provide access to drinking water via the installation of water fountains at three mile intervals along the entire Razorback Regional Greenway. This project will promote and facilitate proper hydration along the trails, which is critical to a healthy, active lifestyle.

Michael Newcity, the chief financial officer at Fort Smith-based ArcBest Corp., will take a new role of chief innovation officer and president of ArcBest Technologies beginning Jan. 1. David Cobb will step into the role of CFO.

Newcity served as CFO since 2010. In 2013, he became senior vice president and chief information officer as his responsibilities were expanded to oversee corporate information technology and economic analysis, which are now part of the ArcBest Technologies function.

During his 20-plus year tenure with ArcBest, Newcity has been involved in several efforts to create or improve e-commerce, market research and forecasting and planning. The company has been recognized for information technology work under Newcity’s direction in a number of publications, including CIO and InformationWeek.

Newcity began his career with the company in 1993 serving ArcBest’s information technology subsidiary, Data-Tronics Corp. (now ArcBest Technologies). He also served as manager of E-Systems & Market Development and manager of E-Commerce at ABF Freight and director of E-Systems & Emerging Technologies and director of Economic Analysis at ArcBest.

“Creating a dedicated center for technology and business  innovation across all of the ArcBest companies will enable us to continue serving our customers across the supply chain in the way they expect, with ‘The Skill & The Will’ to tackle their most complex challenges,” ArcBest President and Chief Executive Officer Judy McReynolds said in the statement issued Friday (Dec. 19). “While Michael Newcity now devotes his sole attention to this area, David Cobb’s experience in finance and accounting at ArcBest and other companies will ensure a seamless transition for investors and other financial stakeholders.”

Since 2006, Cobb has served as vice president-controller at ArcBest, adding the duties of chief accounting officer in 2010. The replacement process for his previous role is underway.

Before joining ArcBest in 2006, he was vice president-controller for Smith International Inc., a publicly held, international oilfield service company, which is now part of Schlumberger Limited. He also served seven years with the public accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston. Cobb, a graduate of Abilene Christian University, is a Certified Public Accountant in Arkansas and Texas.

Enrique Ostale was chosen by Wal-Mart to as its next CEO for Wal-Mart de Mexico. The retail giant made the announcement on Friday (Dec. 19).

Ostale served previously at the parent company as the top Walmex and Latin America exec. He will take over the new role on Jan. 1.

The change comes after Walmex said in October that Scot Rank was stepping down as CEO after five years, when it also reported lower third-quarter profit. Wal-Mart de Mexico reported sales growth of 4.3% in the recent quarter, while gross profits fell 4.2% during the period.

The retailer also reported that Rank is stepping down from the board after 14 years. This change in leadership comes more than two years after the New York Times published an investigative report alleging Walmex bribed local officials to open stores faster. The company now faces legal probes as a result.

Walmex, controlled by Bentonville-based Wal-Mart, has since slowed its pace of expansion.

"Mexico and Central America is a priority market for Wal-Mart. Enrique has excellen global experience within the retail industry and will dive opportunities throughout the region, both in stores and through our growing e-commerce business,” said David Cheesewright, CEO of Walmart International. “He is a strong leader, and his cross functional experience will ensure that we remain well positioned to serve 2 billion customers that count on Walmex every year.”

Ostale joined Wal-Mart Stores in 2009 as part of Wal-Mart’s acquisition of the Chilean retailer D&S which is now Walmart Chile.

In other news, Walmart de Mexico sold the retailer’s Mexican bank division. Grupo Financiero Inbursa, said Thursday (Dec. 18) it agreed to buy Walmart de Mexico’s bank business for a reported $246.94 million.

The supermarket chain's bank unit is focused on credit cards and lending for Walmex customers. Walmex has been selling non-core assets in Mexico as it seeks to focus on its supermarket and e-commerce businesses. The company sold its restaurant division earlier this year.

Veteran banker and civic leader, Rob Brothers, announced his pending retirement after five years as the Home Region Program Director at the Walton Family Foundation.

“Since his arrival at the Foundation – after more than 30 years with Arvest Bank and many other leadership positions in the community – Rob has helped steward more than $157 million in funding to organizations throughout Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta. Under his leadership, the Home Region team made significant investments in grantees to provide education options, economic development opportunities, and arts and cultural programming,” said Buddy Philpot,executive director of the Walton Family Foundation.

Brothers will step down early next year and Philpot said the search for his replacement will begin immediately.

“He leaves us well-positioned for the future, having built the Home Region’s investment strategy through the year 2020. We will miss Rob’s steady leadership, wisdom and daily professional companionship. However, we are happy for him as he will be able to more fully enjoy his grandchildren and all the activities in which they participate, including biking on the Razorback Regional Greenway,” Philpot said.

Brothers served as a community president for Arvest Bank from January 1996 through October 2009 when he accepted the role at the Family Foundation. As bank president he managed all areas for a six community, fifteen branch commercial banking operation with 350 employees, serving over 40,000 households

Prior to that Brothers worked as an executive vice president and loan manager at Arvest Bank for more than 10 years.

Graduation honors and rates with nursing and computer programs at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus have been announced, with Patricia LaRue of Alma named “Student of the Year” by her classmates in the nursing program.

ATU-Ozark held a pinning ceremony for its nurse graduates on Dec. 18.

Others nursing honors included Annie Anstine, of Mulberry, “Friendship Award;” Levi Morrow, of Lamar, “Winner Award;” and Brooke Graves, of Scranton, “Best Practical Nursing Assessment Award.”

Also, three awards were given to healthcare professionals who have worked with students during their clinical training:
• Tia Griffith, former practical nursing instructor at Arkansas Tech-Ozark, “Registered Nurse the Year.”
• Cheryl Dube, licensed practical nurse at Crawford Health and Rehab, “Licensed Practical Nurse of the Year.”
• Anita Kremers, paramedic at Johnson Regional Medical Center, “Inspiration of the Year.”

Also, 15 business technology students at ATU-Ozark passed the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exam, for the first time giving the program a 100% pass rate.

Students tested on Microsoft Word 2013 and are now certified in the program. The exam requires students to demonstrate a varied skill set including creating and managing documents, formatting text and paragraphs, inserting references, and formatting tables and objects.

Angela Medlock, business technology instructor, said the certification is something that can help students in the workforce.

“The certification indicates this applicant possesses the knowledge and skills to maneuver the program,” she said. “This can make a student more marketable when searching for employment or when seeking to advance from their current position.”

Students take two semesters of word processing to prepare for the exam.

ATU-Ozark offers technical certificates and Associate of Applied Science degrees in business technology. Students can choose from four concentrations: business technology, business technology-banking, supply chain management and human resources.

James Michael Hesterly, 50, of Camden, Ark., was sentenced on Thursday (Dec. 18) to 33 months in prison and one year of supervised release on one count of Bribery Concerning a Program Receiving Federal Funds.

Hesterly and Harry Clemons Jr., 39 of Bearden, Ark., were indicted for a scheme to award a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster-relief contract to Clemons by rigging the bidding process in return for a contribution to Hesterly’s 2010 reelection campaign for Ouachita County Judge. Hesterly had been the county judge of Ouachita County Arkansas for the past 10 years. Harry Clemons is the owner and operator of Clemons Construction. A federal grand jury handed down the indictments in Fort Smith on Jan. 17, 2013.

U.S. District Judge Susan Hickey presided over the sentencing hearing in The United States District Court in El Dorado.

“With today’s sentence a strong message has been sent regarding our office’s continuing commitment to aggressively pursue individuals who violate the public’s trust through their own greed and complete abdication of the duties they were sworn to uphold.  This type of conduct by a public official offends taxpayers and citizens as well as all of the other public officials who are truly dedicated to their service,” Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, said in a statement.

According to documents filed in court, beginning in March 2010, Hesterly proposed awarding Clemons a FEMA funded contract to clean up storm debris in Ouachita County without competitive bidding in exchange for a payment to Hesterly for his reelection campaign. The debris was the product of two tornados that struck the county in October 2009. In furtherance of this conspiracy, Clemons arranged for two other bidders to submit intentionally inflated bids to Hesterly through fax. Clemons then met with Hesterly at his office and submitted a bid on behalf of himself and another company for the contract in the amount of $120,730, a total amount below the inflated bids.

Hesterly accepted Clemons’s bid, and, on April 8, 2010, applied for federal funds from FEMA to help Ouachita County pay for the contract. Hesterly represented to FEMA that Clemons was the lowest bidder among the three bids that he had received. After FEMA approved and obligated the request, Hesterly requested that the contract price be increased by $4,000 representing that the increase was necessary to cover increased costs to Clemons for disposing of the debris. FEMA also approved that request, but the $4,000 was ultimately paid to Hesterly by Clemons as bribe money solicited by Hesterly for awarding the contract to Clemons.

In order to promote open competition, federal regulations require that the contract be awarded through a sealed bidding process and in compliance with all applicable state law. Hesterly corrupted the bidding process to ensure that the contract would be awarded to Clemons and not through a legitimate competitive bidding process.

Hesterly pleaded guilty to the offense on June 11, 2014.

Clemons was sentenced Nov. 21, 2014 to two years of probation with a condition of home confinement with electronic monitoring for the first four months, a $2,500 fine, and ordered to pay $4,000 restitution jointly and severally with Hesterly.

This case was investigated by the FBI. United States Attorney Conner Eldridge and Assistant United States Attorney Kenneth Elser represented the United States.

America's Car-Mart recently announced the opening of its 138th dealership located in Miami, Okla.

Miami is the 26th dealership in Oklahoma and the fourth new dealership opening for fiscal year 2015. The Miami dealership will be managed by Cody Degraffenreid. 

“We intend to add new dealerships selectively in what we consider to be good, solid communities with a targeted number of eight dealership openings for fiscal 2015, subject to favorable operating performance,” said CEO Hank Henderson.

Car-Mart shares opened trading Monday (Dec. 22) at $49.20. Shares were trading at $49.37, down 6 cents in Monday’s morning session. Over the past 52 weeks Car-Mart shares have ranged in price from $34.56 to $54.58.

The Northwest District of the Arkansas Water Works & Water Environment Association, recently elected Roman Rios, city of Bentonville as board chairman for 2015.

Jeff Hickle of city of Fayetteville was elected as secretary/treasurer while Jesse Burch of Beaver Water District was named vice chairman for 2015. James Clark from the city of Tontitown was recognized for his years of service as outgoing chairman.

Others receiving recognition include:

• David McNair, Gentry Water — Water operator less than 5000 population

• Fred Clardy, Bentonville Water Utilities — Water operator more than 5000 population

• William Evans, Rogers Water Utilities — Manager of the year

• Centerton Water Utilities Frank Holzkamper — Small system award

• Nicole Bridges, Beaver Water District — Laboratory professional

• Michael Maynard of Fayetteville — Wastewater operator

• Chris Earl, Bentonville Wastewater Utilities — Wastewater operator

• Harold Whittle, Springdale Water Utilities — Manager of the year (wastewater)

• Ed Clark, Pinnacle Foods Group — Pretreatment professional (wastewater)

• Ashley Lyons, city of Fayetteville — Laboratory professional (wastewater)

• Prairie Grove — Small system award (wastewater)

Walmart U.S. CEO Greg Foran told analysts in October that he planned to address meat quality issues and improve the fresh and private label offering at Walmart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets in quick order.

The retailer has reportedly promoted Scott Neal to a position dubbed as “meat czar." Neal has worked as senior vice president for produce, meat and seafood since early 2013. Prior to that he spent five years on the retailers meat team. This specialization in meat come on the heels of 15 years of work in the retailers merchandising division as a vice president.

The other position referred to a senior vice president for fresh at Walmart U.S. will be filled by Shawn Baldwin, who is now a senior vice president at the Sam’s Club warehouse division, effective Jan. 5, according to an internal memo thatBloomberg obtained from a Walmart insider.

Jack Pestello, a vice president in the international unit, will become a senior vice president in charge of private brands for Wal-Mart U.S, according to the memo.

Rex Holstein has been promoted to vice president, commodity purchasing at Tyson Foods. He is replacing Clark Irwin who will retire in mid-January, according to the meat giant.
 
Holstein began his career with Tyson in 1994 and has worked in a variety of roles including personnel, warehousing and accounting. In his new role Holstein will be responsible for leading the commodity purchasing team in the procurement and risk management of various inputs, including feed ingredients, energy and cooking oil.
 
“I’m pleased to make this announcement about Rex,” said Noel White, president of the poultry division for Tyson Foods. “I know he’ll do a great job guiding the team in their efforts to continuously improve our purchasing of commodities and increasing efficiencies.” 
 
Holstein is on the advisory board of the Soy & Grain Trade Summit, the advisory board of the Northwest Arkansas area chapter of Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime and has served as chairman of the board for the Arkansas Industrial Traffic Association. He attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he earned a bachelor’s in finance management in 2000 and a bachelor’s in accounting in 2002. 
 
Irwin’s announcement follows more than 36 years of service with Tyson Foods. He began his career with the company in 1978 and has served in various executive capacities in sales, operations, warehousing, distribution and commodity purchasing. He also managed the company’s Mexican Original business  for several years. 
 
“Clark’s leadership has been key to the growth and success of the Mexican Original business,” White said. “We’re extremely grateful for his commitment and invaluable contributions to our company. We wish him all the best.”

Lacey Freeman has joined Sparks Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, located at 600 Lexington Ave., in Fort Smith.

Freeman earned her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Central Arkansas in December of last year. She worked as a registered nurse at the Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock for five years while attending graduate school. As a nurse, Freeman gained experience in family practice and pediatric medicine, but says cardiovascular care is where her heart is.

Freeman will work with Dr. Randy Brown at Sparks Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, which also includes David Miller, DO.

Sparks Health System includes Sparks Regional Medical Center, Sparks Clinic, Sparks PremierCare and the fully hospital-integrated Marvin Altman Fitness Center. Summit Medical Center in Van Buren, Ark., is a sister facility of Sparks Health System.

Volunteers are needed on Saturday (Jan. 3) to pick up and return to storage the more than 15,000 wreaths on headstones at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.

The wreaths were placed on the headstones earlier in December as part of the sixth annual Christmas Honors program.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the Fort Smith Convention Center beginning at 8:30 a.m., and teams will work to pick up and transport wreaths from the cemetery to the convention center. At the center, the bows will be removed and the wreaths will be packed.

USA Truck stored the boxes between assembly and pickup and will deliver the boxes back to the Fort Smith Convention Center on Jan. 3 for storage. Since the beginning of the program, Baldor Electric has donated the annual storage and transportation of the wreaths to and from their storage facility for the program. Many other local sponsors have helped make this program a success.
 
Donations are still being accepted to help with the costs associated with purchasing new wreaths and bows. Donations can be sent to the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce located at 612 Garrison Ave., Fort Smith, AR, 72901. Please make all checks/payments payable to “Christmas Honors” c/o Philip Merry and the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Retailers and analysts projected more shoppers would be drawn to e-commerce this holiday season because of expanded promotions and a growing user base.

Data provider ComScore reports that U.S. retail e-commerce spending from desktop computers from Nov. 1 through Dec. 21 increased 15% to $48.3 billion from $42 billion during the same period the prior year. Much of that volume came during the final week before Christmas (Dec. 15-21) when online sales surged 18% to $5.8 billion.

"This final week of online holiday shopping before Christmas was very strong, finishing off the season on a high note and virtually guaranteeing e-commerce spending will outperform our pre-season forecast," said comScore chairman emeritus Gian Fulgoni.

"We are now running at a 15% growth rate in desktop e-commerce for the season, which should be taken as a very positive sign for the economic health of both the American consumer and the e-commerce channel as a whole.”

In the final week of the year, another $5 billion in online sales volume is expected to push e-commerce to another all-time high.

Gov. Mike Beebe on Wednesday (Dec. 31) announced the following appointments to state boards and commissions, and judicial appointments.

Donald R. Betterton, Osceola, as District Court Judge of Mississippi County, Osceola Division. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Judge Mike Gibson.

Jeannie Denniston, Morrilton, as Conway County District Judge. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Judge Bart Virden.

Tim Gauger, Little Rock, as a Special Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court for the case styled In The Matter of Jerry Judson Shepard, Jr., CV-14-366. Replaces Justice Courtney Hudson Goodson, who has disqualified herself from the case.

Cliff Hoofman, Enola, to the Arkansas Court of Appeals. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Judge Rhonda Woods.

Mike Kinard, Magnolia, to the Arkansas Court of Appeals. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Judge Robin Wynne.

Judge Jake Looney, Mena, as Polk County District Court Judge. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Judge Jerry Ryan.

Gregory Thurman, Berryville, as District Judge of the Eastern District of Carroll County. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Judge Scott Jackson.

Dr. Gary Bass, Little Rock, to the State Board of Health. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2017. Replaces John Page.

Jim Bigger, Walnut Ridge, to the Arkansas Seed Arbitration Commission. Appointment expires March 1, 2018. Replaces David Luter.

Steve Bryant, Jr., Batesville, reappointed to the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy. Appointment expires June 30, 2020.

Shelia Castin, Little Rock, to the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy. Appointment expires June 30, 2015. Replaces Larry Ross.

Ronald "Joe" Cowling, Stamps, to the Lafayette County Quorum Court, District 3. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces William Smith.

Theresa "Terri" Harris, Hot Springs, as Prosecuting Attorney for the 18th Judicial District East. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Steve Oliver.

Michael Hutchinson, Little Rock, to the Capitol Zoning District Commission. Appointment expires Aug. 13, 2017. Replaces Solomon Bradford.

Charles McGowan, Palestine, as Languille Township Constable. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. This is an open position.

William "W.J." McKiever, Monticello, to the Drew County Quorum Court, Position 3. Appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016. Replaces Billie Gober Ferrell.

Erasmo Reyes, Little Rock, to the State Council for Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. Appointment expires Aug. 15, 2017. This is a new position.

Brian Rodgers, Monticello, to the Criminal Detention Facility Review Committee, District 10. Appointment expires Jan. 14, 2017. Replaces Lee Pinkus.

Samuel Sicard, Fort Smith, to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Appointment expires May 1, 2019. Replaces Dr. Joe Bennett.

Richard Vaught II, Royal, to the Arkansas State Board of Registration for Professional Soil Classifiers. Appointment expires Nov. 1, 2019. Replaces Glen Laurent.

John Wilkerson, Little Rock, to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Appointment expires June 1, 2017. Replaces Mary Allen.

James Woodard, Wynne, reappointed to the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Appointment expires June 1, 2017.

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE), in partnership with the Information Network of Arkansas, has launched of a new “College for You” financial aid website.

The website is an audience-focused resource that makes it easier for students and their parents, teachers and counselors to find information about college scholarships, grants and loans from any mobile device, the release notes.

The new financial aid site will provide a portal to the YOUniversal online financial aid application system, which will begin accepting applications Jan.1. The website launch is timely given the deadline to submit applications is Feb. 1 for Governor’s Scholarships and June 1 for the Academic Challenge and most other scholarship programs.

“We were one of the first states to make applying for state financial aid more accessible for parents and students, and we are constantly looking for opportunities to improve that access and serve our citizens,” ADHE Director Shane Broadway said. “We are excited about the updates that we are announcing today, and we hope that our increased focus on mobile technology will encourage even more students to apply.”

The new website provides students with the following:
• Applications for scholarships;
• Deadlines;
• Financial aid answers; and
• Rules and qualifications for each scholarship.

CBRE Group Inc. has acquired CBRE Oklahoma, a commercial real estate services firm that has served as CBRE’s affiliate in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Northwest Arkansas since 1999. 

David Erstine and Clinton Bennett will remain as executive / managing brokers of the local offices in Fayetteville.

CBRE Oklahoma is led by co-founder Tom O’Brien along with Cary Phillips and Lori Bryant and has a staff of 180 managing more than 18 million square feet in the region.

“Tom, Cary, Lori and their colleagues in Oklahoma and Arkansas have built this firm into a regional leader,” said Michael Caffey, executive managing director, Texas Region, CBRE. “They also embrace our corporate values and commitment to delivering exceptional client outcomes. We look forward to working more closely than ever with the team to build advantage for our clients.”

• Nestle Waters divests ice cream business in Mexico
Wal-Mart supplier Nestle Waters recently announced the $68 million sale of its ice cream business in Mexico to Grupo Herdez. The deal includes the Nestle, Mega, PelaPop and eXreme brands, two manufacturing facilities in Lagos de Moreno and Jalisco, Mexico and the business unit management team.

“This acquisition will deliver significant synergies with our Nutrisa business and increase our sales and leadership position in the growing and high-potential ice cream category,” said Héctor Hernández-Pons Torres, chairman and CEO. “We look forward to welcoming the Nestle ice cream team and are excited about this unique opportunity to serve the youth segment, and strengthen our direct mom and pop retail channel in Mexico.”

Grupo Herdez said the addition of the Nestle business will allow it to increase its scale and capabilities in the frozen business segment and doubles the size of its ice cream business.

The transaction will be funded through existing lines of credit and cash on hand. It is expected to close in the first half of 2015, subject to regulatory approval.



• ConAgra discusses private label woes

The $6.8 billion purchase of Ralcorp Holdings by ConAgra Foods in 2013 has not yet produced the desired results in the food company’s private label business. The private brands segment suffered a 6% volume decline and operating loss of $202 million during its recent quarter. The losses included charges of $247 million comprising a write down of goodwill and other intangible assets.

CEO Gary Rodkin told analysts in the Dec. 18 call that the private brands business is “a point of frustration for the entire organization ... it’s clearly not where we want it to be or expect it to be.”

ConAgra’s private brands sales during the quarter ended Nov. 23, totaled $1.05 billion, a decline of approximately 5% compared with the same period during the previous year.

“Regarding the rest of this fiscal year, we had originally expected modest profit growth in fiscal 2015, but after further evaluation, we’ve revised our outlook,” Rodkin said. “This outlook better reflects the continuing competitive pressures, the impact of the commodity cost increases, the extended time needed to achieve the cost benefits from our network optimization, and in general, the overall timeline we needed to make sustainable improvements in how we operate this segment.”

He expects the business should turn around by 2016 and outlined a four-point plan to make the business more competitive.

• Narrow the business focus of the poorly performing unit.
• Increase the speed of commercialization, bringing products to market.
• Improve customer service and execution.
• Better leverage of rising commodity costs.

“To state the obvious, it’s been more difficult and taken longer than we originally planned, but an important point is, these issues, they are fixable,” Rodkin said.

ConAgra is a major supplier to Wal-Mart Stores with a large sales office in Bentonville.

Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC announced Monday (Jan. 5) that it is consolidating its five northwest Arkansas daily newspapers into a single regional newspaper, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.


As a result of the format change, the newspaper has eliminated 15 positions from its workforce of 373, or less than 4%, according to the release published on its website at 2 p.m. Monday.


A consolidation of newsrooms eliminated nine positions, including editors. Another six positions came from other departments. No other reductions in work force are planned, according to the statement.


In addition, the newspaper offices in Rogers and Bentonville will close. According to President Todd Nelson, news department employees will work from Springdale and Fayetteville.

The one regional publication will be published as “B” section of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, effective Monday Jan. 12. This consolidation spells the end for the daily banners:
• Benton County Daily Record

• Northwest Arkansas Times

• Morning News of Springdale and Rogers


“With a regional population of 500,000, Northwest Arkansas is recognized as a major metropolitan area,” said Rusty Turner, editor of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “We have come to think, live, work and act as a region without borders and this decision reflects our region’s growth and development.”


Turner said noted in the release that the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette will continue to provide in-depth news coverage about local communities and provide a regional focus.


The streamlined business model will create cost savings by reducing certain operational redundancies, including printing and some administrative functions, according to the release.

“Like any business, we constantly assess our operations and make adjustments in response to market needs, the role of technology and making best use of our existing resources,” Nelson said.

Northwest Arkansas Newspapers is jointly owned by WEHCO Media and Stephens Media.